World Aids Day

Floor Speech

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, next year marks the 30th anniversary of the first diagnosis by the Centers for Disease Control of acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS. This year, 33.3 million people are living with HIV. Last year 2.6 million people were infected with HIV, and 1.8 million people died from AIDS. And today we commemorate World AIDS Day, acknowledging the suffering and death that AIDS has caused and reaffirming our commitment to fight the global AIDS pandemic.

For three decades this preventable disease has devastated families and communities. But there also has been a global response from the research community, government, health workers, and patient advocates to fight this disease and save lives. This battle has yielded notable victories. Fewer people are becoming infected with HIV, biomedical innovations have created drugs that can transform AIDS into a chronic disease rather than a death sentence, more people have access to HIV treatment, and mothers can prevent their babies from becoming infected with HIV. A recent CDC report, indicating that 11.4 million more people were tested for HIV in 2006 compared to 2009, highlights the advancements that have been made.

The U.S. has been at the frontline combating the AIDS pandemic. We have established aggressive and effective programs, notably the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde U.S. Global Leadership against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act, known more commonly as PEPFAR. These programs provide funding and support to initiatives combating AIDS and providing critical services to people in the U.S. and developing countries.

Progress has certainly been made, but the U.S. must continue to be a leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In the United States over 1.1 million people have HIV, but one in five of these people do not know they are infected. Each year 56,300 Americans become infected with HIV.

We can bring this number to zero. While Black Americans represent 12 percent of the U.S. population, they account for almost half of people living with HIV and half of new infections each year. We can alter the trajectory of this disease and eliminate these disparities.

World AIDS Day causes us to remember those who have been lost to this disease, but it is also an opportunity to renew our commitment to fighting the AIDS pandemic, to eliminating stigma against those with this disease, and to stopping the spread of HIV.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to make these goals a reality.

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